Heroic teen deserves to be recognized
Recently, a teenage boy saved the life of a teenage girl from being stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend in Anchorage at Service High school. What this young man did was not only heroic but very brave. If it wasn't for him acting on what he saw instead of just walking by, the girl would be dead today.

Begich promised not to toe party line
Remember when Sen. Mark Begich stood before the cameras during the 2008 election? He told us his vote would not be fore sale, that he would vote in Alaska's best interest, and when his party was wrong, he would vote against his party? He looked so confident, and he was so believable.

Obama takes path of president before
I want to thank our local columnist, Ben Brown, for a concise history primer about the occupation of Afghanistan printed in the Dec. 6 Juneau Empire.

Parnell pushes for road extension
Gov. Sean Parnell moved to build a small section of a controversial road out of Juneau by announcing Monday a 2.9-mile, $5 million extension of Glacier Highway from Echo Cove to Cascade Point.

Clarification
A Friday story in the Juneau Empire reported that a 25-year-old man sentenced Dec. 2 for sexually assaulting two teenage girls in Angoon was also from the same city. Richard J. Hunt Jr. lived in Angoon for a short period of time when the assaults happened but is from Juneau.

JDHS grad goes to Hell and back
Acclaimed travel writer Chuck Thompson wanted to find the biggest hellholes in the world for his latest book so he chose four places - the Congo, India, Mexico City and Disney World.

Former coach allegedly admits guilt
A longtime Juneau-Douglas High School basketball coach's lawyer said Tuesday his client would plead not guilty to felony sexual assault, even though court documents indicate James M. Hamey admitted to police that he groped a 50-year-old woman last week without her consent.

Merry mansion
Gov. Sean Parnell knows this year may be particularly tough for many families given the difficult economic times, so on Tuesday he wanted to be sure to wish Alaskans a merry Christmas and happy holiday season during the annual open house at the Governor's Mansion.

School District outlines calendar changes
Students will be let out of school between 45 and 60 minutes early on the second and fourth Monday of every month to allow for teacher collaboration under the Juneau School District's proposed 2010-2011 calendar.

Photo: Building skills
Jack Lovejoy, 3, holds a hammer while her father, Mike, holds pieces of a wagon they were constructing over the weekend at the Home Depot Kids Workshop.

Faux news, real results
A Hong Kong media company launched a worldwide YouTube hit last week with an animated re-creation of Tiger Woods' infamous fire hydrant crash. The video, which has been viewed more than 2 million times, shows an avatar of the golfer's wife slapping a digital Tiger across the face and then chasing after him, golf club swinging, as he speeds off in what looks like a 1980s minivan.

What good are holiday tales if we discard moral lessons?
For more than 40 years, Black Friday has been the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Now we have Cyber Monday, a newly named tradition that is supposed to be the first day for Christmas bargains on the Internet. Regardless of which way people choose to shop, neither day is a local story worthy of much attention. Both are imported marketing gimmicks where the competition to buy and sell does little more than reveal weaknesses in human nature.

Using forest growth to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide
To prevent timber harvest, Tongass Conservation Society has recently attacked biomass as a renewable energy source, claiming that "science" proves it harmful to carbon dioxide reduction (Nov. 12 Juneau Empire and Dec. 5 Ketchikan Daily News). However, we need to use all the known science that applies, not just a few generalities that appear to prove a point.

Pearson's Pond changes ownership
JUNEAU - Pearson's Pond, a bed and breakfast-style resort in the Mendenhall Valley, was purchased by Maryann Ray, a former resident of Phoenix.

Army captain pleads guilty to stealing
PORTLAND, Ore. - An Army captain from Oregon pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he stole nearly $700,000 from the U.S. government while serving in Iraq.

Domestic violence shelter opens in Bethel
ANCHORAGE - A new shelter for battered women and their children is opening in the western Alaska town of Bethel, a $9 million facility operators call a crucial step in addressing the growing problem of domestic abuse in the largely native region.

Four slain officers honored at memorial
TACOMA, Wash. - A procession of 2,000 cars followed the flag-draped caskets of four slain police officers to a memorial service Tuesday as thousands of mourners, mostly members of law enforcement from across the country, lined the streets.

Alaska Guard taking bikes to Afghanistan
ANCHORAGE - The Alaska Air National Guard will transport donated bicycles to Afghanistan, where the bikes will be given to more than 20 disadvantaged children.

Anchorage plans vaccination clinic
ANCHORAGE - The municipality of Anchorage is offering a swine flu vaccination clinic from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Clark Middle School for children age 9 and younger.

School Board will mull calendar today
JUNEAU - The Juneau School District will have its first reading of the proposed 2010-2011 calendar at the school board meeting Tuesday night. The new calendar proposes students get out of school between 45 and 60 minutes early two Mondays a month so that teachers can collaborate, specifically focusing on using new, specific test data to improve student performance.

Four TMHS grapplers prep for state
Things could be worse for Thunder Mountain wrestling. After all, sending four student-athletes to the state meet in the program's inaugural season is not half bad. In fact, it's downright good.

Salazar OKs Shell plans for drilling in Chukchi
ANCHORAGE - The Minerals Management Service on Monday conditionally approved plans by Shell Oil Co. to drill three exploratory wells next year in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast.

Federal timber program becomes vast entitlement
RESERVE, N.M. - A federal program that began as a safety net for Pacific Northwest logging communities hard-hit by battles over the spotted owl in the 1990s has morphed into a sprawling entitlement - one that ships vast amounts of money to states with little or no historic connection to timber, an analysis by The Associated Press shows.

Fairbanks hatchery cut back to curb cost
FAIRBANKS - A $45 million state fish hatchery now under construction won't have onsite housing for employees or laboratories for University of Alaska, Fairbanks researchers when it opens next summer.